 |
|
• Bookmarks
• Dreams • Concerts • Best Albums • MP3s • FAQs • Reviews • Files • Videos - new! |
 |
|
• Gaming
• Celebrities • Fame • Misc Images • PotM |
 |
|
• About
• Bands • Playlist • Gear • Contact |
| home | Records | 2000s |
The Best Records by Year: The 2000s
I've been keeping track of this long enough to split it into two separate sections. This here covers the albums released in the decade in which I really grew up! See below for my lists, some are outdated and unformatted.
It has been 10 years since metal has returned to true force the world over. It's hard to think of the time when things were as bad as they were. Fortunately, we've appreciated a long run of great years and 2007 was no exception.
There were no fewer than five incredible records this year, and choosing an album of the year was not possible. Arch Enemy's record may not be their best, but it's solid and heavy. Exodus is another in-your-face effort, though I do miss Bostaph on drums for this one. Iced Earth put out its second record with Tim Owens and it's phenomenal through and through. Sadly, they fired him at the end of the year, so the sequel is no longer on my most-anticipated mental list. Naglfar put out Harvest, which may not be as good as Pariah, but still is a brutal onslaught of what they do best. That last track is incredible. Finally, Jesu put out five releases this year, one being a leftovers record. It is this record that I find to be some of his best work in ages.
That's just the five best! There are some other highly noteworthy releases. Vintersorg's album was a surprisingly enjoyable listen, unlike the last few. Slaotvean has a great album and Megadeth is definitely their best in forever. It grows on me still. Dimmu Borgir was nothing spectacular and I think Type O Negative put out their worst record ever.
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Arch Enemy | Rise Of The Tyrant |
| Exodus | The Atrocity Exhibition - Exhibit A |
| Iced Earth | Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked - Part 1 |
| Jesu | Pale Sketches |
| Naglfar | Harvest |
| Excellence | |
| Final | Infinite Guitar 1 |
| Jesu | Split EP |
| Megadeth | United Abominations |
| Slaotvean | Origins |
| Vintersorg | Solens Rötter |
| Good | |
| Amorphis | Silent Waters |
| Black Dahlia Murder | Nocturnal |
| Down | III: Over The Under |
| Dimmu Borgir | In Sorte Diaboli |
| Dream Theater | Systematic Chaos |
| Korn | II |
| King Diamond | Give Me Your Soul... Please |
| Machine Head | The Blackening |
| Neurosis | Given To The Rising |
| Not so good | |
| Soilwork | Sworn To A Great Divide |
| Type O Negative | Dead Again |
After waiting and waiting, the new Dissection and Slayer records came out. The latter was the first LP with Dave Lombardo in 15 years and the former was a good album, but the frontman killed himself shortly afterwards. Kalmah's record was one of my most anticipated and delivered by being the year's best. Also there was the surprise release by Summoning, which is what you'd expect, and not too diverse, but still quite enjoyable.
The new Satyricon is better than Volcano, but still not anything memorable. Tool, Iron Maiden, Cradle Of Filth and Amon Amarth all put out average works that I can't say much about. Agalloch, on the other hand, wowed me. So did My Dying Bride and Abbath's I record was also a good listen.
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Kalmah | The Black Waltz |
| Lamb Of God | Sacrament |
| Excellence | |
| Amon Amarth | With Oden On Our Side |
| Dissection | Reinkaos |
| Dissection | Rebirth Of Dissection (DVD) |
| Agalloch | Ashes Against The Grain |
| Summoning | Oath Bound |
| Good | |
| Enslaved | Ruun |
| Blind Guardian | A Twist In The Myth |
| Isis | In The Absence Of Truth |
| Jesu | Silver (EP) |
| My Dying Bride | A Line Of Deathless Kings |
| Queensr˙che | Operation Mindcrime II |
| Satyricon | Now, Diabolical |
| Slayer | Christ Illusion |
| Katatonia | The Great Cold Distance |
| I | Between Two Worlds |
| Amorphis | Eclipse |
| Ministry | Rio Grande Blood |
| Eh.../Just Don't Care Any More | |
| In Flames | Come Clarity |
| The Haunted | The Dead Eye |
| Cradle of Filth | Thornography |
| Witchery | Don't Fear the Reaper |
| Joe Satriani | Super Clossal |
| Tool | 10,000 Days |
| Iron Maiden | A Matter Of Life And Death |
| Bal Sagoth | The Chtonic Chronicles |
| Sepultura | Dante XXI |
With so many big-name records coming out, I had high expectations for 2005. Unfortunately, a number of follow-ups didn't quite live up to the hype, and there are quite a few disappointment/ehhh... records. One record was so bad, I had to comment on it. On the other hand, the best records of the year were quite surprising to me.
The Black Dahlia Murder's record came out of nowhere (to me) and is so positively incredible, I deemed it record of the year less than halfway through. Never really cared about them prior, but the riffs and drums are all killer. When the album ends I'm pumped up and just want to listen again. That's what a bona fide Album of the Year does to you. Guess I'll have to wait till 2006 to get a new Dissection record.
| Album D'Année | |
| The Black Dahlia Murder | Miasma |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Children of Bodom | Are You Dead Yet? |
| Hypocrisy | Virus |
| Naglfar | Pariah |
| Pelican | The Fire in Our Throats... |
| Excellence | |
| Arch Enemy | Doomsday Machine |
| Candlemass | Candlemass |
| Dimmu Borgir | Stormblåst (re-recording) |
| Exodus | Shovel Headed Kill Machine |
| Judas Priest | Angel of Retribution |
| Petrucci, John | Suspended Animation |
| Sigur Rķs | Takk |
| OK / Eh... | |
| Dark Tranquillity | Character |
| Demons & Wizards | Touched by the Crimson King |
| Dickinson, Bruce | Tyranny of Souls |
| Dream Theater | Octavarium |
| Hammerfall | Chapter V...... |
| Helloween | Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy |
| Obituary | Frozen in Time |
| Old Man's Child | Vermin |
| Opeth (their worst ever) | Ghost Reveries |
| SHITE! | |
| Soilwork | Stabbing the Drama |
2004...hmmmm.....can't really count Katatonia's Brave Yester Days.
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Exodus | Tempo of the Damned |
| Iced Earth | The Glorious Burden |
| Skyfire | Spectral |
| Excellence | |
| Neurosis | The Eye of Every Storm |
| Borknagar | Epic |
| Buckethead | Population Override |
| Susperia | Unlimited |
| Ministry | Houses of the Molé |
| Skinny Puppy | The Greater Wrong of the Right |
| Dargaard | Rise and Fall |
| Moribund Oblivion | Khanjar |
| Finntroll | Nattfödd |
| My Dying Bride | Songs of Darkness, Words of Light |
| Death Angel | The Art of Dying |
| Eh... | |
| Anthrax | Music of Mass Destruction |
| Grip Inc. | Incorporated |
| In Flames | Soundtrack to Your Escape |
| Morgion | Cloaded by Ages, Crowned in Earth |
| Joe Satriani | Is There Love in Space? |
| Vintersorg | The Focusing Blur |
An incredible year in terms of quality and quantity. 2003 will probably have the largest number of excellent records in recent memory. I couldn't reduce my 'Best of the Year' records below 7, I think that says it all.
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Children of Bodom | Hate Crew Deathroll |
| Einherjer | Blot |
| The Haunted | One Kill Wonder |
| Helloween | Rabbits Don't Come Easy |
| Kalmah | Swampsong |
| Old Man's Child | In Defiance of Existence |
| Skyfire | Mind Revolution |
| Excellence | |
| Anathema | A Natural Disaster |
| Bathory | Nordland II |
| Blind Guardian | Live |
| Dimmu Borgir | Death Cult Armageddon |
| Dissection | Live Legacy |
| Dream Theater | Train of Thought |
| Iron Maiden | Dance of Death |
| King Diamond | The Puppet Master |
| Opeth | Damnation |
| The Orb | Bicycles & Tricycles |
| Noteworthy/Etc. | |
| Arch Enemy | Anthems of Rebellion |
| Katatonia | Viva Emptiness |
| Soilwork | Figure Number Five |
| Naglfar | Sheol |
| Lost Horizon | A Flame to the Ground Beneath |
| Type O-Negative | Life is Killing Me |
| Korn | Take a Look in the Mirror |
| Led Zeppelin | How the West Was Won |
| OSI | Office of Strategic Influence |
| Eh... | |
| Overkill | Killbox 13 |
| Suidakra | Signs for the Fallen |
| Queensryche | Tribe |
| Stratovarius | Elements - Part II |
| Green Carnation | A Blessing in Disguise |
| Amorphis | Far From the Sun |
| Cradle of Filth | Damnation and a Day |
| Anthrax | We've Come For You All |
| Sepultura | Roorback |
| Sepultura | Revolusongs |
To put it simply: Blind Guardian isn't for everybody. A Night at the Opera isn't for everybody. This record isn't even for every BG fan. This record is like nothing I've ever heard. If you enjoy the layer upon layer of vocals and melodies and can appreciate the album as a whole, there's a good chance it's on your Top Whatever listings. As a fan of the production and care that's gone into this record, it easily sits in my Top 20 records of all time listing.
| Album D'Année | |
| Blind Guardian | A Night at the Opera |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Agalloch | The Mantle |
| Kalmah | They Will Return |
| Green Carnation | Light of Day, Day of Darkness |
| Noteworthy | |
| Satyricon | Volcano |
| Suidakra | Emprise to Avalon |
| Amon Amarth | Versus the World |
| Opeth | Deliverance |
| Dark Tranquillity | Damage Done |
| Arcturus | The Sham Mirrors |
| Halford | Crucible |
| In Flames | Reroute to Remain |
| Dream Theater | Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence |
| Joe Satriani | Strange Beautiful Music |
| Vintersorg | Visions from the Spiral Generator |
| Warmen | Beyond Abilities |
| Hammerfall | Crimson Thunder |
| King Diamond | Abigail II |
| Eh... | |
| Down | Down II |
| Soilwork | Natural Born Chaos |
| Live Records | |
| My Dying Bride | The Voice of the Wretched |
| Cradle of Filth | Live Bait for the Dead |
| Overkill | Wrecking Everything |
| Dimmu Borgir | Alive in Torment |
| Iron Maiden | Rock in Rio |
| Megadeth | Rude Awakening |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Arch Enemy | Wages of Sin |
| Cradle of Filth | Bitter Suites to Succubi |
| Soilwork | A Predator's Portrait |
| Lost Horizon | Awakening the World |
| Testament | First Strike Still Deadly |
| Excellence | |
| Agalloch | Of Stone, Wind and Pillor |
| Amon Amarth | The Crusher |
| Borknagar | Empiricism |
| Bal Sagoth | Atlantis Ascendant |
| Dargaard | The Dissolution of Eternity |
| Dimmu Borgir | Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia |
| Diabolical Masquerade | Death's Design |
| Neurosis | Sun That Never Sets |
| Orbital | The Altogether |
| The Orb | Cydonia |
| Tool | Lateralus |
| Witchery | Symphony for the Devil |
| Noteworthy | |
| Slayer | God Hates Us All |
| Opeth | Blackwater Park |
| Eh... | |
| Amorphis | Am Universum |
| Emperor | Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire and Demise |
| Live Shows | |
| Dream Theater | Live Scenes from New York (*) |
| Halford | Live Insurrection |
| Queensryche | Live Evolution |
* - I was at this show.
| Album D'Année | |
| Soilwork | The Chainheart Machine |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Children of Bodom | Follow the Reaper |
| Cradle of Filth | Midian |
| Kalmah | Swamplord |
| Excellence | |
| A Perfect Circle | Mer de Noms |
| The Cure | Bloodflowers |
| Bruce Dickinson | Best Of (w/ Bonus Disc) |
| Deep Forest | Pacifique |
| Demons & Wizards | Demons & Wizards |
| Dargaard | In Nomine Aeternitatis |
| Helloween | The Dark Ride |
| Halford | Resurrection |
| The Haunted | The Haunted Made Me Do It |
| In Flames | Clayman |
| Iron Maiden | Brave New World |
| Immortal | |
| Jacob's Dream | Jacob's Dream |
| King Diamond | House of God |
| Neurosis | Sovereign |
| Overkill | Bloodletting |
| Tool | Salival |
| Noteworthy | |
| Eh... | |
| Vintersorg | Cosmic Genesis |
| Live Records | |
| Arch Enemy | Burning Japan Live |
| Emperor | Emperial Live Ceremony |
 |
|